Texas Tech Hosts Joint-service Color Guard Performances At Home Games This Season

Jay Ellis, a U.S. Navy veteran and Texas Tech alum, founded the All-American Color Guard in 2017. The organization brings together active-duty military members, Reservists, National Guard members, and veterans to present the colors at major sporting events, concerts, and patriotic ceremonies across the country.

Jones AT&T Stadium already packs in 60,000-plus fans on game days, with traditions like the Masked Rider, the Goin' Band from Raiderland, and the flying tortillas that have defined Red Raider football for decades. Adding a joint-service color guard performance gives those Saturdays a new layer, one rooted in military service and national recognition rather than just campus tradition.

For people here who have family members in the military or who served themselves, seeing active-duty troops and veterans share the field before kickoff carries a different kind of weight than most pregame pageantry. It also connects Lubbock to a national organization with roots right here at Texas Tech.

Ellis built something with staying power. The All-American Color Guard has been operating for eight years, well before it ever came back to his alma mater.